Review Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41 mm Silver-toned Watch Replica

Review Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41 mm Silver-toned Watch Replica

The presentation of the Royal Oak Automatic 41 mm replica was actually a major news item, largely overshadowed by the launch of AP's polarized CODE 11.59 collection during SIHH 2019. Replacing the previous ref. 15400, the 2020 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak steel 41mm Silver-toned replica 15500ST was upgraded with the addition of a new larger internal movement and several design tweaks.

The Original Royal Oak

 

The original Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 5402ST replica was manufactured between 1972 and the late 1970s. As part of the first production run, Audemars Piguet produced 1,000 watches without alphabetic characters in the manufacturing number. It then made four series, marked A to D, depending on subtle differences in specifications (such as the clasp or the movement).

In the 1970s, Audemars Piguet produced mainly small, formal watches with complicated mechanisms. The Royal Oak replica, its first sports watch, was also a highly innovative watch. 

In these terms, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak replica was a highly innovative watch, but one that did not receive high praise at the time. Its case, 39 mm in diameter, was so large at the time that it earned the nickname "giant". Another reason for the poor reception was that, although it was made of stainless steel, it cost the same as a gold watch. It took a while for the Royal Oak replica to be accepted by the market. But it continues to influence many different watches and today it has become the model of many people's dreams mod.

15500ST-SIHH-2019-11

The Movement

When it was introduced last year, the 15500 replica was equipped with the spanking new automatic calibre 4302 developed for the CODE 11.59 collection. Almost 6mm larger than its predecessor, the 32mm diameter of calibre 4302 is a more appropriate size for this 41mm model. The frequency was also increased to 4Hz (3Hz in past) and power reserve bumped up from 60 to 70 hours. Viewed from the caseback, the movement features a skeletonised gold rotor with the letters AP in the centre and sharp anglage along with Geneva stripes on the bridges and polished bevels.

 

The Dial

The dial retains the signature guilloché Grand Tapisserie pattern everybody associates with the Royal Oak replica. Identical to the other dial colours in the Ref.15500 family, the little squares on the dial have more space between them and stand out more than in past editions while the minute track on the periphery of the dial is smooth with thin black markers printed against the white background. Enhancing legibility, the applied white gold hour markers are shorter and broader than the former reference and can carry more lume. Obviously the big change over Ref.15400 replica is the elimination of the hour marker at 3 o’clock to accommodate the date window, which is now tucked neatly against the minutes track. The date window has a white background and black numerals to echo the minutes track. Audemars Piguet cleaned up the dial by removing the “Automatic” wording and repositioning the date window.

The Case

The stainless steel case measures 41mm and has a thickness of 10.4mm. All the signature traits of the RO are on display: the sharp, dynamic angles of the case; the iconic octagonal bezel with the eight hexagonal white gold screws; the integrated bracelet; and the beautifully brushed and polished finishes that highlight the architecture of the case. The crown is screwed-down and water-resistance rated at 50m.

The Bracelet

The double folding clasp works like a charm, the two pushers are there to release it. I like the little square link with the AP engraving, almost looking like a hidden button. The best thing about the Royal Oak bracelet though is the finishing. A beautiful brushed finish on most of the surfaces, while all angles from all links have a nice polished surface. The downside will be that it is a scratch magnet, the brushing won’t hide the slightest hairline scratch. But, as one of the previous designers at Audemars Piguet once told me, it is part of creating “character” on your watch.

Price

The replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 41mm in stainless steel (ref. 15500ST.OO.1220ST.04) retails for EUR 20,700 or USD 20,400. More information, please visit our latest replica AP watch listing, we are the largest and most reliable replica of luxury watches store, copy watches such as Rolex, Patek Phillippe, Panerai, Cartier, Hublot, Tag Heuer and more.